Welcome to Carolina Commentary, a not-for-profit platform established for the purpose of commenting on North Carolina public policy issues. We launched July 7 with a commentary about the deportation of the undocumented parents of American-born children.
Writers for the site hope to contribute to more fact-based dialogue, less polarization and more in-depth awareness of issues that affect North Carolinians.
The site was the brainchild of Virgil Smith who spent 10 years as publisher of the Asheville Citizen-Times and retired in 2015 as a corporate HR executive with the Gannett Company. Smith currently serves on the board of directors for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
The site was inspired by his work for the foundation and by a friend who said she felt he was being called to bring facts and balanced analysis to the forefront regarding issues that are dividing the state and country.
Smith recruited three former editorial page editors he’d worked with at the Asheville Citizen-Times: Jim Buchanan, Julie Martin and Joy Franklin. Together they launched carolinacommentary.com. All have spent lengthy careers in journalism.
North Carolina news organizations are invited to pick up and publish Carolina Commentary editorials. They also are invited to email their editorials to commentary@carolinacommentary.com for publication on the website.
Readers are invited to join the discussion.